Costa Rica rattled by 7.6 earthquake, tsunami warning issued

An earthquake struck off the Pacific Coast of Costa Ricka Wednesday. It was locakted about 38 miles from the town of Liberia and 88 miles west of the capital, San Jose. It was centered about 25 miles below the earth's surface.

A powerful, magnitude-7.6 earthquake shook Costa Rica on Wednesday. There were no immediate accounts of damage or injuries.

The USGS said the 8:42 a.m. quake struck about 38 miles (60 kilometers) from the town of Liberia and 88 miles (141 kilometers) west of the capital, San Jose. It was centered about 25 miles (41 kilometers) below the surface,

In the coastal town of Nosara in northwest Costa Rica, trees shook violently and light posts swayed. Teachers chased primary school students outside.

A tsunami warning was in effect for Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Guatemala and Peru and a tsunami watch was in effect for Chile, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said in a bulletin. It said it was unknown if a tsunami was generated, but the warning was based on the size of the earthquake.

An earthquake of this size has the potential to generate a destructive tusnami that can strike coastlines in the region near the epicenter within minutes to hours.